Pesticides: the secret ingredient in Chinese herbal products?

Traditional Chinese herbs have a strong reputation for their medicinal benefits, but a Greenpeace East Asia investigation has revealed that these herbs are coated in a toxic cocktail of pesticide residues, posing long-term health risks instead.

In China, these herbal products are extensively used in daily cooking and are part of the country's culinary heritage. Many people add ginseng, red dates or chrysanthemums, for example, to their soups or tea to cure various health problems.

These herbs are also consumed outside China by people looking for alternative

Many herbal products are cultivated using chemical-intensive agriculture methods and are no longer picked in the wild – another example of the dominant chemical-based industrial agriculture system and its failure to deliver toxic-free foods.

Some of the pesticides detected in the Greenpeace East Asia investigation are considered 'highly hazardous' by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Some herbal products had residue levels that would breach European food safety standards.

The WHO and European authorities have already ranked or banned some pesticides because of indications that exposure to some of them via food poses health risks due to bioaccumulation in the body. Chronic pesticide poisoning may lead to learning difficulties, hormone disruption and reproductive abnormalities.

Greenpeace is campaigning globally against what we call 'ugly food' – the widespread industrial agriculture model that damages the environment with toxic chemicals and poses threats to human health. Greenpeace champions ecological farming as a more environmentally and human friendly solution to industrial agriculture.

Ecological farming does not rely on chemical pesticides but on natural pest management techniques, rotation and diverse cropping to ensure healthy, nutritious and sufficient food for people while protecting our environment, water and wildlife from toxic poisoning.

Greenpeace East Asia is urging the Chinese government to impose stricter supervision and control of illegal pesticides, provide clear pesticides reduction timelines and commit to a road map to fully phase out chemical pesticides in agriculture. Additionally, we call on the Chinese authorities to divert financial funding towards more ecological farming practices.

We must walk this ecological path now to preserve the future of traditional herbal medicine and food production in China and globally. The challenge to switch to ecological farming and away from chemicals-based agriculture is one that all governments need to embrace.

The pharmaceutical grade herbal granule extracts used by many UK herbalists meet stringent GMP requirements that are rigorously tested and approved in...

The pharmaceutical grade herbal granule extracts used by many UK herbalists meet stringent GMP requirements that are rigorously tested and approved in Canada, USA, Australia and Europe. Dried raw herb is more difficult to control. This is another good reason why the Government should push towards statutory regulation of herbalists where supply of such medicines is via approved suppliers. Failing this, should a black market emerge for the effective herbal medicines that people want, there is a greater danger of uncontrolled and untested herbs entering the market place. Always use a registered herbalist that abides by an approved suppliers scheme.

Thank you for your comments. For Greenpeace, the core issue here is the structural failure of industrial toxic chemical-intensive agriculture to provide safe food for people. And with time passing, it is getting worse. It is also important to note that in China, people use fresh or dried herbal products to add to their daily food not granule. This is why we all need to switch to ecological farming by getting governments to reallocate direct or indirect agriculture subsidies (via farmers) to agrobusiness to help farmers to adopt more ecological practices and get out of the pesticide treadmill. It is not fair that people who care about their health and professionals like you, should be bearing the burden and the cost to prove that the products they take or sell are safe and free from pesticides. Help us #HealTheHerbs by moving to ecological farming. Thank you.

A traditional method of avoiding the need for pesticides is the selective cultivation of resistant plant strains. This is a time-consuming process. ...

A traditional method of avoiding the need for pesticides is the selective cultivation of resistant plant strains. This is a time-consuming process. Monsanto Corporation offers a more efficient approach. It's called genetic engineering.

Instead of using chemical pesticides, ecological farmers use non-polluting, long-term pest protection. One method is to introduce beneficial insects to the field or to do crop rotation. As a result, crops are less vulnerable to pest invasion. (See the many and better ecological alternatives: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/agriculture-at-a-crossroads/)
On the contrary, generically engineered crops (at least 80% of commercialised GE are plants resistant to herbicides) are designed to makes it easier to use herbicides and increase dependency on toxic chemicals. Also weeds and insects are getting resistant to GE crops and the pesticides that come with them. GE crops are largely used as a marketing vehicle for chemical companies to sell herbicides. Instead, let's get out of the toxic agriculture treadmill and not fall for the fake promise of GE crops http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/the-fake-promises-of-ge-crops/blog/45669/

A small comment in regards to the level of pesticides found in Chinese Medicines, I will try not to turn this reply into and advert for Phoenix but wi...

A small comment in regards to the level of pesticides found in Chinese Medicines, I will try not to turn this reply into and advert for Phoenix but will offer the following.
To be honest there is an inherent problem with pesticide contamination of plant species in China.
Due to the large scale use of pesticides and the problems caused by poor air quality as China is now in its Manufacturing revolution, Pollution is sucked up into the atmosphere and deposited Via precipitation across vast areas of the country.
However before everyone jumps on the contamination bandwagon it is worth noting the following.

As a whole Chinese products, be they electrical , textile or natural are no worse than those produced By many European countries. In the west we have a tendency to import as cheap as possible and sell For the highest margins. In the case of Herbal medicine this is particularly true.
Various factors including but not limited to, increases in the standard of living , higher manufacturing Costs and the sourcing of contaminate free herbs has driven prices up exponentially in recent months.
This does not mean premium quality herbs are not available or imported into the UK.
All we can suggest is -

Choose a supplier who can provide genuine certificates of analysis detailing levels of heavy metals, Pesticides and other contaminates.
Do your own research - do not take a suppliers word as gospel.
Ask for GMP copy certificates and GAP maintained land certificates.
At Phoenix for example all our granulated herbs are sealed in a shrink wrap
- some may say this is
Harmful to the environment but our manufacturing partner is aware that some companies will replace labels With new expiry dates when the product nears its shelf life - shrink wrap prevents this.
Look for Chinese 'Time Honoured Brands' - Companies such as these are far more likely to be supplying Herbal medicine in Chinese Hospitals.
Look for Companies who are able to perform the whole process of granule extraction or dried herb packaging Themselves. Transit times from China to the UK are long enough as it is and if a company has to ship to a third party for packaging or processing prior to distribution then the chances are their product will be sulphur treated as this can prolong the shelf life.
Where possible look for 3rd party verification. We recently had a selection of herbs taken by Port Health For examination in Germany, an expensive and lengthy process but also advantageous as our herbs were Checked for pesticides and found safe to enter the food chain.
Patients can rest assured that as long as practitioners purchase from reputable sources and suppliers play by the rules then the TCM industry is one of the safest forms of medicine available!

Can I suggest that if you can't grow a herb at home or in a window box then don't buy it dried or otherwise from anywhere else. If you have a balanced diet you surely don't need additional products. Don't forget the Chinese trade in Tiger Products and the many other strange ideas that people get about boosting their immune systems - or virility or goodness knows what which is usually unimportant in the larger scheme of life on earth.

Just campaign hard and do your own bit to reduce carbon emissions and only eat what you absolutely need when you need it - and hopefully after a short journey from your own backyard or ledge and not someone else's. :-)

Thanks very much Eric, ...that was just excellent, and including the comments you made.
"Also weeds and insects are getting resistant to GE...

Thanks very much Eric, ...that was just excellent, and including the comments you made.
"Also weeds and insects are getting resistant to GE crops and the pesticides that come with them."
How absurd that we try to change the end result of billions of years in the evolution of our soil and ecosphere, ...destroying it's symbiosis and balance, ...and what works. So true it is as you suggest, it only presents a small challenge and a matter of time before the mutations are dealt with by the nature of evolution and countered. Mother earth will always be the winner, and the human race for their folly, will be the ultimate loser. Blinded by and seduced by those of ultimate greed.
Thank God we've got a rainbow though, ...it's called Greenpeace ♥

to Eric Darier (Ph.D.)... GMO technology is meant to eventually move entirely away from pesticides as we give the plants natural resistance to disease...

to Eric Darier (Ph.D.)... GMO technology is meant to eventually move entirely away from pesticides as we give the plants natural resistance to diseases and pests that act as vectors. The fact is that this industry is the only thing in agriculture's future, organic farming simply cant feed the world's population. To say that there is resistance building towards the GMO crop itself is foolish and uninformed. Yes, pesticides need to be rotated to keep resistance from becoming an issue but there is no resistance built up in regards to the plant. The article you posted is complete bogus, just more uninformed garbage. Stop spreading this ridiculous fear just because you feel like complaining about something and please do some research before you say ignorant things.

Obviously you are totally wrong on all these points. I am wondering on which evidence on which you based your comment? You might want to read this blog from one of my colleagues on the fake promises of GE crops : http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/news/Blogs/makingwaves/the-fake-promises-of-ge-crops/blog/45669/
You could also read the following article that includes official USDA figures increase in pesticide use on crops that are genetically engineered: http://www.motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2013/07/superweeds-and-superinsects-still-bedeviling-monsanto-crops
You could also watch US farmers experience of GE and the health impact of herbicide spraying on GE soya in Argentina's rural communities: http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/agriculture/problem/genetic-engineering/Growing-Doubt1/
The only way to avoid the use of toxic synthetic pesticides in agriculture and on food is to adopt ecological farming. Yes, there are alternatives to pesticides and GE crops!
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/agriculture/solution-ecological-farming/

This article is frustrating and completely misleading. News outlets across the world are presenting this study as evidence that Chinese herbs are a t...

This article is frustrating and completely misleading. News outlets across the world are presenting this study as evidence that Chinese herbs are a threat upon world heath, when IN FACT, Greenpeace did not sample a single product IMPORTED to the United States or other developed nation. Absolutely true that Chinese people are exposed to horrendous chemicals in all aspects of daily life in China, but the quality control mechanism for 1) exports out of China, 2) imports into the United States (ie border security and FDA screening) and other developed nations with higher standards than that of the US (ie, Australia, Japan, EU), and 3) the massive effort by reputable importers to have all herbs screened for contaminants by independent third-party laboratories.

Greenpeace should be ashamed of itself for taking what could have been responsible research on the actual threat of pesticides within China, unto the Chinese population, and blowing it way out of proportion for the sake of sensational and political aims. Sadly, out media hasn't been intelligent to pick up on this important distinction...

Dear Zoopeda. You are wrong. Greenpeace tested chinese herbs imported in the US, Canada, the UK, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Germany. You can read the results here: http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/food-agriculture/2013/chinese-herbs-testing-results.pdf
The world urgently needs to switch to ecological agriculture and get out of the toxic treadmill of pesticides. We really need clean and safe food.

I absolutely agree the world needs to steer away from toxic farming practices. But the Greenpeace study completely neglects the main channels for dis...

I absolutely agree the world needs to steer away from toxic farming practices. But the Greenpeace study completely neglects the main channels for distribution by licensed professionals here in the US. I did mis-read that detail you caught me on above, but my point still stands. Rather than work to understand the industry and practices of Chinese medicine practitioners, Greenpeace has targeted known problem products and exploded that upon the entire practice of Chinese medicine in the west. Intentional or not, it's still irresponsible and misleading journalism. My evidence? To my knowledge most (if not ALL) of the Chinese medicine colleges in the US import herbs through companies that adhere to the Australian import standards (not evaluated by Greenpeace study and much more rigorous than those of the US) and EMPLOY ACCREDITED 3RD PARTY LABS TO TEST EVERY LOT of product they import to countries around the world. It's such a shame Greenpeace did not do the diligence of a broad investigation before striking fear into more people than was necessary regarding Chinese herbs in the west. See info from reputable distributors. I was wrong about a detail of the GP methodology, but GP (and you) are wrong on the assertion that the pesticide presence in a cherry-picked bunch of herbs is indicative of an industry-wide failure of Chinese medicine in the west.

These are the main distributors of single herbs in the west. ALL of which lab test for metals and pesticides...

However, Greenpeace stands by the report and its results. All the samples of Chinese herbs were collected from retailers in the US, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, France, the UK and Italiy. The results of our study show that government authorities in these countries have obviously failed to protect consumers and failed to enforce their own standards on pesticide residue.

Please help us in making sure that government authorities strictly apply their own regulations and even more importantly that governments put in place measures for phasing out pesticides and for making ecological farming products available to all.

I absolutely agree that the Greenpeace results need to be published. But here's what you said: "The results of our study show that governmen...

I absolutely agree that the Greenpeace results need to be published. But here's what you said: "The results of our study show that government authorities in these countries have obviously failed to protect consumers." Yet the Greenpeace initiative is ignorant to the fact that the actual Chinese medicine industry(by "industry" I'm referring to the 60+ TCM colleges and the thousands of licensed acupuncturists (LAcs) in this country) and their patients are immune to the contamination brought by companies mentioned in this study. This is, as I mentioned, due to the more stringent testing and safeguards in place within the Chinese medicine industry in, at least, America. So it's not the data I have a problem with, but you must admit, the Greenpeace study points to "Chinese herbs" as a source of evil contaminants, when the reality is that anyone who gets their herbs through the currently accredited Chinese medical system in this country does not have to worry about such contaminants. The evidence is all the patients who come into our Chinese medicine clinic telling us Greenpeace knows more about our herbs than we do. (I am an LAc.) The reality is, while the Greenpeace study has some facts straight, the presentation is, at the very least, incomplete, and at worst, blatant slander. I believe the intentions were good, but can't two communities of people with such similar goals in mind (Greenpeace and Natural Medicine) work more collaboratively toward achieving those goals and limiting the spread of mis-information? Can you see the issue here? Thank you for taking the time...